Fantasyland Forest Expansion

Okay, so the original point of this post was for me to share some recent information I had come across regarding the Fantasyland Forest Expansion at Walt Disney World. Then I decided to add other things to the post to talk about, including World of Color updates and regarding marketing for TRON Legacy. Then the post became too long and I never had time to finish it, and then my sister was complaining because I've in the past started posts which I never finished, so I decided to just break it down into small posts that will be spread over time.

So, without further ado, the original post about the Fantasyland Forest Expansion:

I recently found two articles from WDW News Today regarding this new expansion of Fantasyland at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. If I had more time, I would talk about them myself, and then link, but I'm going to just link to the first one here, and talk a little about the second here, but you can follow that link to find out more. Just FYI, the first link contains pictures of the actual model of the expansion while the second is an excerpt from an article in D23 about the expansion.

Rather than remodeling Fantasyland, much like what happened at Disneyland in 1983, this refurbishment is an expansion that will be set away from the rest of Fantasyland, now called "Fantasyland Proper" behind some sort of wall or separation. In following with the forest theme, expect an abundance of landscaping here with water, trees, and themed shops and attractions. A large part of the new area will be the new Little Mermaid area, where the new attraction from California Adventure will also be built in Florida. In addition, the new area will receive a Belle area (complete with recreated town, restaurant, and storytelling), as well as Pixie Hollow (also from the Disneyland Resort). I hear that the Pixie Hollow will be much different than the one found here in California, utilizing the Living Character technology modeled at the D23 Expo last Fall.

While much of this is new to guests, one of the most innovative parts of the expansion is the new Dumbo area. No longer will parents wait in hour-long lines for a quick spin on this anti-climactic ride. The new ride system will feature a ticketing wait system (much like that found at a local deli, I'm presuming) for a ride on one of two identical rides. In addition to doubling capacity, the ticket system will be utilized to give guests the chance to try their hand at a selection of carnival games while waiting their turn. No more queues, no more mess, I guess? We'll have to see how this turns out, but it does look interesting.

Again, for more, go ahead and venture over to the two links above, where a more detailed explanation and pictures await.

I really suggest you check out the links, because this project is going to be just about as amazing as the DCA expansion currently going on. It will nearly double the size of Fantasyland and make it the largest land in the Magic Kingdom. This project will take over the area currently occupied by Mickey's Toontown Fair, but about the only good thing there was the meet-and-greets, which will certainly be moved somewhere else to accommodate guests.

In other news, my sister will once again leave for the summer to work at Walt Disney World, so be sure to start following her blog, Disney World Girl, once again in late May. I also hope to get her to send pictures, videos, and other tidbits to share here with you.

That's all for now. So long, folks!